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National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health

NCCIH Clinical Digest

for health professionals

The NCCIH Clinical Digest is a monthly e-newsletter that summarizes the state of the science on complementary and integrative health practices for a health condition (diabetes, cancer, sleep disorders, etc.)—clinical guidelines, literature searches, continuing medical education, and information for patients.

In each issue, you'll find evidence-based information for several complementary health practices used for the highlighted condition.

If a friend or colleague has directed you to this resource, we encourage you to subscribe to NCCIH Clinical Digest.

Multiple Sclerosis and Complementary Health Approaches

March 2025NIGMS_NeuronGlia3_MS

Many people with multiple sclerosis (MS) use complementary health approaches to help reduce relapses or relieve symptoms, such as pain, muscle spasticity, fatigue, problems with cognition, and depression. Some mind and body practices, such as yoga, may help ease some symptoms of MS, but there is currently no definitive evidence to suggest that any dietary supplement is effective to reduce relapses or symptoms of MS.

The American Academy of Neurology issued evidence-based guidelines in 2014 on complementary and alternative medicine use for MS and reaffirmed the guidelines in February 2023. These guidelines concluded that evidence was available to develop practice recommendations for use of cannabinoids, ginkgo biloba, low-fat diet with omega-3 supplementation, magnet therapy, reflexology, and bee venom therapy. This issue of the digest provides the state of the evidence for some of these and other commonly used complementary health approaches for MS as well as others.

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